Open houses are designed to blur together. Fresh paint, a candle on the counter, an agent who's shown the place six times today. You walk out liking it, then the next one, then the one after. By the weekend you're comparing feelings instead of facts.
A few notes per apartment, taken the minute you leave, keep the facts. This page covers what's worth noting, what to ask and how to compare the places once you've seen enough.
Before you book a viewing
Get the money questions answered by email or on the phone. They rule places out faster than anything you'll see in person.
- Monthly rent, and what it includes. Heat, water, trash, internet?
- The security deposit, and any application or broker fees. In some US cities renters still pay a broker fee, sometimes a month's rent or more. Rules vary by city, so ask who pays it.
- Lease length, and what happens at renewal.
- Move-in date, and whether it can shift a week or two.
- Pets, parking and laundry, if any of them matter to you.
Write the answers down next to the address. If the numbers don't work, skip the visit.
At the viewing
Agents show you the good parts. Look for the rest.
Turn on the shower and the kitchen tap at the same time. Weak pressure or water that takes forever to warm up won't get better after you move in.
Check your phone signal in every room. Open the closets. Count the outlets near where your desk and bed would go. Look under the sink for stains or droplets, and in the corners of cabinets for signs of pests.
Notice which way the windows face and what they look at. A bedroom with morning light is a plus. A bedroom facing a brick wall three feet away is something to write down.
Listen. Close the windows and hear the building: neighbors, the elevator, pipes. Then open them and hear the street.
Take photos of each room if you're allowed. They help later, especially of the things you didn't like.
Outside the apartment
The block matters as much as the unit. If you can, come back at a different time of day. A quiet street at 2 p.m. can be a different street at 11 p.m. on a Friday.
Try your commute from the front door, or at least check it on a map at rush hour. Find the nearest grocery store and see how you'd carry bags home.
Questions for the landlord or agent
Ask these at each place and write the answers down. If someone dodges a question, note that as well.
- Who handles repairs, and how fast do they usually come?
- What did utilities cost the last tenant, roughly?
- How much did rent go up at the last renewal?
- Has anything big been fixed recently, like the roof, the boiler or the windows?
- Can I see the lease before I pay a deposit?
That last one is worth insisting on. Read the parts about fees, early termination and who pays for what before you sign anything.
Comparing the places
After three or four viewings, put the finalists next to each other. Rent plus monthly extras. Up-front costs. The commute. The one thing you'd have to live with every day.
That last item usually decides it. For most people it's noise or light, more than the size of the kitchen.
Keep a short list of what's still unanswered for each place. A finalist with three open questions isn't ready for a deposit.
Where Nave fits
Between viewings you're on the sidewalk, on a bus, or already late for the next one. You won't type a proper note there, but you can talk for thirty seconds.
Say the address, the rent and what stood out. Each place becomes its own note in one thread, so on Friday you can read the week top to bottom and see which questions are still open. The example below is invented.
